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1Formulas and methods
Pediatric nursing
Method
Note the child’s age first: it sets the normal vital signs, the milestones and the right pain scale.
Assess airway, breathing and circulation, remembering that children compensate and then deteriorate fast.
Match the action to the development stage and involve the family.
Check that the answer is safe for a child: weight-based, no aspirin in viral illness, no codeine under 12.
Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Daily dose
mg/day = mg/kg/day × weight (kg)
Doses per day
number = 24 h / dosing interval (h)
Pounds to kilograms
kg = lb / 2.2
Infusion concentration
units/mL = units in bag / bag volume
Pump rate
mL/h = dose per hour / concentration
Titrated drip
mL/h = mcg/kg/min × kg × 60 / (mcg/mL)
Dose from pump rate
mcg/kg/min = mL/h × (mcg/mL) / (60 × kg)
Units
1 mg = 1000 mcg
IV fluids & fluid balance
Holliday–Segar per hour
4 mL/kg (first 10 kg) + 2 mL/kg (next 10 kg) + 1 mL/kg (each kg above 20)
Holliday–Segar per day
100 / 50 / 20 mL/kg for the same bands
Fluid balance
intake − output
Ice chips
count as half their volume
Urine output
mL/kg/h = mL / (kg × h)
Infusion time
time (h) = volume left (mL) / rate (mL/h)
Volume infused
mL = rate × time
2Practice problems
1.Pediatric nursingMedium
Which source is a common cause of lead poisoning in young children?
APlastic toys made last year
BOld flaking paint and dust in older housing
CBreast milk from a healthy, well-nourished mother
DFresh fruit
2.Pediatric nursingHard
How should a child who is still drowsy after a tonsillectomy be positioned?
ASitting fully upright with the head bent forward on the chest
BProne with the face directly in the pillow
CFlat on the back with the head tilted backwards
DOn the side or semi-prone, so secretions can drain from the mouth
3.Pediatric & critical-care dosingMedium
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A practice protocol calls for a heparin bolus of 60 units/kg for a patient who weighs 48 kg. The vial contains 1 000 units/mL. What volume V do you draw up? Round to one decimal place.
60 units/kg48 kg1 000 units/mL
V = mL
4.Pediatric & critical-care dosingHard
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A bag contains dopamine 800 mg in 500 mL. The order is 5 mcg/kg/min for a patient who weighs 56 kg. At what rate R do you set the pump, in mL/h? Round to one decimal place.
800 mg/500 mL5 mcg/kg/min56 kg
R = mL/h
5.IV fluids & fluid balanceMedium
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). The record shows a patient's intake and output for one 8-hour shift. The IV infusion ran at the rate shown for the whole shift. Find the total intake I in mL. Count ice chips as half their volume.
Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A 1000 mL bag runs by pump at 60 mL/h. At 10:00, 100 mL have already been infused. How many hours t until the bag is empty? Round to one decimal place.
1000 mL100 mL infused60 mL/h
t = h
3Solutions
1.Pediatric nursing
Answer: B · Old flaking paint and dust in older housing
Why this is the answer
Lead-based paint in older buildings, contaminated dust and soil and some imported products are common sources. Lead affects the developing brain, causing learning and behaviour problems.
Answer
B · Old flaking paint and dust in older housing
2.Pediatric nursing
Answer: D · On the side or semi-prone, so secretions can drain from the mouth
Why this is the answer
Until fully awake, the child lies on the side or semi-prone so that blood and secretions drain from the mouth rather than being swallowed or inhaled. Once awake, a more upright position is comfortable.
Answer
D · On the side or semi-prone, so secretions can drain from the mouth
3.Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Answer: V = 2.9 mL
Heparin and insulin infusions: concentration = units in the bag/bag volume (units/mL). Pump rate (mL/h) = units per hour/concentration, and units per hour = mL/h × concentration. For a weight-based order, units/h = units/kg/h × weight first. A bolus volume = units needed/vial strength. The numbers are for practice only; at the bedside always follow local protocols and have high-risk doses double-checked.
Units needed
60·48 = 2 880 units
Volume
V = 2880/1000 = 2.88 ≈ 2.9 mL
Answer
V = 2.9 mL
4.Pediatric & critical-care dosing
Answer: R = 10.5 mL/h
Titrated drips: first find the concentration in mcg/mL (mg × 1000/mL). For a weight-based order, mcg/min = mcg/kg/min × weight. Then mL/h = mcg/min × 60/concentration. Working backwards, mcg/kg/min = mL/h × concentration/(60 × weight). The numbers are for practice only; at the bedside always follow local protocols and have high-risk doses double-checked.
Concentration
800 mg = 800 000 mcg
800 000/500 = 1600 mcg/mL
Dose per minute and per hour
5·56 = 280 mcg/min
280·60 = 16800 mcg/h
Pump rate
R = 16800/1600 = 10.5 mL/h
Answer
R = 10.5 mL/h
5.IV fluids & fluid balance
Answer: I = 1100 mL
Intake and output: intake counts everything that goes in (oral fluids, IV infusions, IV medications and flushes, tube feeds); ice chips count as half their volume. Output counts urine, drains, vomit and other losses. Balance = total intake − total output; a negative balance is a net loss. The numbers are for practice only; at the bedside always follow local protocols and have high-risk doses double-checked.
Add the intake
oral: 200 + 200 + 200 = 600 mL
ice chips: 100/2 = 50 mL
IV infusion: 50·8 = 400 mL
IV antibiotic: 1·50 = 50 mL
I = 1100 mL
Answer
I = 1100 mL
6.IV fluids & fluid balance
Answer: t = 15 h
Infusion time: time (h) = volume to infuse (mL)/rate (mL/h); use the volume still left in the bag, not the bag size. Volume infused = rate × time. Convert decimal hours to hours and minutes with the fraction × 60 (0.5 h = 30 min, not 50 min). The numbers are for practice only; at the bedside always follow local protocols and have high-risk doses double-checked.
Volume left
1000 − 100 = 900 mL
Time
t = 900/60 = 15 h
Answer
t = 15 h
That is about 15 h 00 min, so the bag runs out at about 01:00.